Bachelor of Arts in History

The Department of Social Sciences' history program provides students with a general
understanding of the development of American, European, Asian, and Middle Eastern
civilizations. In developing these understandings, you learn to draw upon the insights
and methods of various social science disciplines.

The program encourages you to develop your analytical capacities, research skills,
and writing talents, which, in turn, stand you in good stead as you pursue a career
in law, education, journalism, government service, or the private sector.

Degree Requirements Checklist

Get Started

This degree is coordinated by Dr. Andrew Lee Feight, Professor of History. For additional
information please contact Dr. Feight at (740) 351–3143 or afeight@shawnee.edu

Student Perspective

"The bonus of choosing SSU has been small class sizes. Some of my friends at bigger
schools would ask me, 'What do you mean you talk to your professors?' Half the time,
TAs taught their classes. I ended up being friends with some of my professors. That
would never have happened at a larger university. "

Contact Information

Department of Social Science

Career Examples

The Historian as Teacher

Many history majors join the ranks of the nation’s educators, whether at the college
or pre-collegiate levels. These historians have answered the call to teach about
the past, to pass on what they have learned, while, at the same, continuing their
own studies of the past.

Career paths in the teaching of history vary according to which level of education
one chooses to teach, from primary and secondary education to higher education. Pre-collegiate
teaching is also separated between the education offered in private schools and public
school systems that are supported and regulated by a system of state laws and statewide
educational goals. Public school teaching requires the acquisition and maintenance
of state teaching licenses, while such requirements are not required by all private
academies.

Those history majors who wish to pursue a career as a college professor continue their
education at the graduate level, where they specialize in their chosen fields and
produce their own significant research, while apprenticing as a teaching assistant.
Although a Masters of Arts in history can qualify one for a teaching position at
a two-year community college, a Ph.D. is considered essential to finding employment
at the four-year college or university level.

The Historian as Journalist and Editor

Students of history may find employment in a wide variety of writing and publishing
related fields. Many history majors have gone onto careers in journalism, where they
use their research and writing skills, while others choose career paths in the publishing
industry, working as editors. From university presses that publish scholarly monographs
to textbook and trade houses, to magazines, journals, and other on-line publications,
as well as in the offices of professional associations, museums, and government agencies,
historians are putting their writing and editing skills to work.

The Historian as Preservationist

Historic preservation is another rewarding career field for history majors. Once
focused primarily on saving the homes of prominent Americans, preservationists are
now found in architectural firms, city planning offices, economic development agencies,
historic parks, and construction companies, as well as in their own specialized consulting
firms. The preservationist, wherever he or she works, appreciates the built environment
and is committed to saving these valuable resources for future generations.

The goal of historic preservation at any level is the identification, evaluation,
physical preservation, and interpretation of historically and culturally significant
sites. Historic preservationists play a key role in interpreting historic structures
for the public through museum exhibit design, pamphlet publication, oral histories,
and documentary film productions. The field as it has developed has drawn from a wide
scope of professional skills and knowledge. A properly trained historian, however,
is able to contribute to any of these elements of preservation. Students interested
in a career in historic preservation may improve their career advancement through
further specialized graduate studies in their field of choice.